10 responses to “AR-15 Magazine Discussion”

A friend of mine has a Cammenga Easymag; which is an all-steel AR mag with a feature of being able to slide the front down vertically for easier loading (just drop the rounds in). That part is kind of a gimmick; but it seems otherwise pretty well-built, and best of all it has a constant-curve geometry so the follower can be made to fit more tightly and thus be less likely to tilt.

AFAIK the biggest problem with AR mags is the ‘kink’ in them because of the straight magwell and need to curve the magazine for best reliability. That means that the followers need to be looser-fitting in order to have room to get around the kink.

Also, they were designed to be disposable and lightweight; so they’re thin. AK mags were designed to be reliable, so they have ‘tracks’ in the sides that the follower rides in which keeps them from tilting; and double-thickness feed lips that make them much harder to bend up.

Unfortunately, they don’t have a last-shot bolt hold open feature.

The HK-designed G36 has constant-curve magazines with better reinforcements than the AR mags. AFAIK the XM8 used those same magazines, which I suspect is one reason the XM8 had about one fourth of the number of failure-to-feed malfunctions when compared to rifles using AR mags in the famous dust tests of a few years ago.

The new Magpul PMag30G models for the G36 ought to be even better than the stock magazines. Too bad everyone in this country seems stuck on the AR mag because it works “most of the time”, so rifles are designed for it even tho there are better designs out there.

I first tried out the Lancers when the Sig 556’s came out as I wanted something that mimicked the Swiss’s 550’s look with the transparent mags. I was quite pleased with the results and need to get some more. An L5 “A” model came out that apprently fits more platforms such as the Hk416 and FN SCAR.

My friend took the Albuquerque Police Dept. Urban Rifle course, and the instructor told the class that a mil-spec magazine can only be reliable for one use…granted I have fired close to 1000 rounds through my p-mags without a problem..The instructor also told the class to run the course with their 3 most reliable magazines, then after the course retire them to the training bin….

I guess my question would be that once you use a magazine and determine that it functions reliably, then you are to dispose of it because it’s been used? It would seem that this line of thinking will have you betting your life on never used and tested magazines. Given the abuse that countless people have purposely subjected Magpul Pmags to alone would counter that theory.